Course Descriptions, Fall 2013

Courses 14-28

15.  MR. LINCOLN IN DETAI: HIS LIFE AND TIMES  (Nancy Goudreau,  Moderator)   Wednesday, 11:00—12:30, Rm. MP.   We will ponder facts and insights, concerning the life of Abraham Lincoln – his dealings with reluctant and/or loyal supporters and enthusiastic enemies -- as presented in 12 lively lectures by the personable Lincoln scholar Dr. Allen Guelzo, Professor of History at Gettysburg College.   His lectures aim to:  humanize Lincoln and his contemporaries; analyze the period's dynamic political realities and cultural forces; and trace Lincoln's political and moral development.  To amplify his presentations, Dr. Guelzo consistently uses:  direct quotes from Lincoln's contemporaries; period portraits of same; period drawings/photos of locations; and relevant maps and graphs.  Everyone is invited to bring in other references.

16.  MYSTERIES OF CURRENT TIME (Bill Blanpied, Moderator)
Tuesday, 9:15-10:45, Room MP.   Although most of us have an intuitive idea about what time is, we would be hard pressed to provide a definition.  In his Principia, Isaac Newton wrote about absolute space and absolute time, but gave no definition of either. It was left to Albert Einstein who, in 1905, defined time simply as something measured with a clock.  If so, then it is essential that we have an accurate means for constructing and interpreting clocks.  The course will consider the evolution of the concept of time by means of improvements in clocks, starting with the natural, astronomical “clocks” through mechanical clocks to today’s electronic clocks that are so precise that every few years, they declare the need for a leap second.     

17.  MYTHS, LIES AND HALF TRUTHS (Stuart Solomon, Moderator)
Monday, 9:15-10:45, Room SS.  In this course Professor John McWhorter attempts to answer a variety of questions. Is English broken? Do bad grammar, slang, and illogical constructions signal a decline in standards of usage? Do e-mail and text messages corrupt the art of writing? In short, is our language going to the dogs? We'll explore all these questions and lots more about the language we all think we know.

18. PERSONAL HISTORY A (Bobbie Lubker, Moderator)
Wednesday, 9:15-10:45, Room 1,2,3    Our generation has lived through such important events as wars, the civil rights movement, the dawn of nuclear power, and the coming of computers.  Historians record the big picture, but our individual stories are up to us, and they may be lost to the next generation if not written down.  This group encourages and supports writers’ sense of accomplishment as they get their ideas and stories on paper.  Our format is simple.  We write, read what we have written, and listen to others read their stories.  We also help one another identify ways to make our writing more engaging to a reader/listener.

19. PERSONAL HISTORY B  (Nancy Martin and Raleigh Mann, Moderators)  Wednesday, 9:15-10:45, Rm. 1,2,3.  Same as Personal History A except that Raleigh, a retired journalism professor and writing coach, will provide feedback to participants.

20.  PHYSICS OF HISTORY: HOW CAN PHYSICS SOLVE HISTORICAL MYSTERIES? (Larry Nielsen and Jim Freedman,  Moderators)
Thursday, 9:15-10:45, Room 1,2,3.   The history of the universe and all it contains is written in the particular arrangements of fundamental particles.  Recent developments uncover the truth about historical mysteries in archaeology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and even art.  Professor David J. Helfand of Columbia University gives us the background to understand how scientists know what they do about the past.  Some of the topics to be discussed are:  origins of the solar system, history of earth’s changing climate, forgeries in art, and creation of the chemical elements, from small to large.  Scientific forensics at its best.    

21.  PLAY READING  (Larry Cramer,  Moderator)   Thursdays, 9:15-10-45, Room SS.   The class will jointly select plays to read. Responsibility for leading discussion of one of the chosen plays will alternate among the class members.

22.  POLICY, POLITICS, AND WHY  (Hank Becker & Bob Glass, Moderators)  Monday, 9:15-10:45, Room 1,2,3.  Each week we will read materials on multiple sides of a controversial public issue such as immigration policy, gender politics, or foreign policy strategies.  Many such issues break down into liberal versus conservative positions; however, not all do (e.g., the 'drug war' and guns in our society).  In addition to analyzing the substance of the opposing positions presented, we will explore the underlying foundations of our views, e.g., our worldviews and our moral intuitions.  Class members should have Internet and printing capabilities.

23.  SHAKESPEARE  (Doug Gates, Moderator.) Thursday, 11:00-12:30, Room SS.  The subject for the fall Shakespeare seminar will be four history plays: Richard II, Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, and Henry V. These four plays, sometimes called the Henriad, make dramatic use of the reigns of three successive English kings.  The BBC is producing Shakespeare’s works again after thirty years, and it has begun with these plays. The productions are beautiful, the acting mostly superb, and all four plays are available free on YouTube. I expect to have clips for use in class from these four productions but from others as well.

24. SHORT STORIES (WEDNESDAY)  (Larry Cramer & Betsy Mann, Moderators)
Wednesday, 9:15-10:45, Room 1,2,3.  In this class, we read and discuss one short story each week – making efforts to:  interpret the plot and characters; imply greater meanings and relevance to our lives; and wonder at the language of specific passages.  Information about the authors' lives and other works will also be shared. The anthology for Fall 2013 will be Best American Short Stories, edited by Geraldine Brooks, 2012 edition, and may be purchased during the first class meeting for about $12.00.

25.  SHORT STORIES (FRIDAY)  (Rosalinde Milazzo, Moderator)
Friday, 9:15-10:45, Rooms 1,2,3.  In honor of William Sidney, also known as O. Henry ( 1862-1916) , a group of his friends met in NYC after his death to establish a memorial to him. They decided to award annual prizes in his name for short story writers. These must be written in English and published in American or Canadian periodicals.   Our group is using Pen/O. Henry Prize Stories 2011.  Each week we  share the background and education of the participating writers and then the context and meaning of his or her contribution. This leads to some interesting and often varying interpretation     

 26.  SPANISH (ADVANCED) (Violet Simon, Moderator, 969-4484)
Wednesday, 11:00-12:30, Room SS.   The book for this course will be Read and Think Spanish by editors of Think Spanish Magazine (ISBN 978-0-07-147492-4).  Also articles available in Spanish, on the internet at BBC Mundo, are to be read prior to each class for discussion.  New students are welcome.

27.  SPANISH (INTERMEDIATE) (Barbara Spencer, Moderator)
Tuesday, 9:15-10:45, Room SS.  The class is held in Spanish as much as possible and includes grammar, composition, reading, and conversation.  Text:  Complete Spanish Grammar by Gilda Nissenberg and Spanish Conversation, both McGraw Hill Practice Makes Perfect Series.   Enrollment limited to first 12 enrollees.

 28.  VIEWS ON THE NEWS (Alice Parsons and Gordon Taylor, Moderators)
Meets all year.  Monday, 9:15-10:45, Room MP.  An informal round table setting to discuss current foreign and domestic issues as offered by the discussion leader of the week; participants are encouraged to lead.  The only prerequisite is a keen interest in current events, plus an enjoyment in exchanging ideas.

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Shared Learning Association      Celebration Assembly of God Church    114 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill, N.C.

(919) 642-0606, amparson@uci.edu

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Shared Learning Association of Chapel Hill

Fostering intellectual sharing in the humanities, sciences, and fine arts

Classrooms: We have three classrooms: SS (Sunday School), MP  (Multi-Purpose), and Room Main. Room assignments may be changed depending on class enrollment. Check Bulletin Board.

Several courses have limited enrollment:   Enjoying Music and  Spanish/Intermediate